affirming them as creation without Real. Both groups mean this literally, not figuratively. The latter are those who say that only one proceeded from the Real.
Concerning preference in removing censure, and considering divine address: wherever He assigns the ruling to one of the two deviations, we assign it there; wherever He turns to equilibrium, we turn. This is the attribute of those courteous with God. “God speaks the truth, and He guides the way” [al-Ahzab 33:4].
Section Forty-Two: Reliance upon the Deficient and Inclination toward It
This is the chapter of reliance upon all causes except the complete human cause. Whoever relies upon him does not rely upon something deficient, for he appears through the form. Every other cause falls short of this rank, as woman falls short of man through the degree between them. Even if a woman attains perfection, her perfection is not man’s perfection because of that degree.
Someone may make that degree Eve’s having come into existence from Adam, appearing only through him, giving him a degree of causality over her in which she can never equal him. This is a particular case, countered by Mary in Jesus’ existence. The degree is therefore not the causation of her appearance from him. Rather, woman is a locus of being acted upon, whereas man is not.
Notes
Translator’s note TN5213-1: The opening ʿan al-tarjīḥ fī rafʿ al-tajrīḥ is syntactically compressed. Preference and removing censure follow the supplied words without inserting a missing governing verb or changing ʿan to another word. The claim that only one proceeded from the Real is read as resuming the latter group after the parenthetical about both groups. The ensuing competing explanations of the degree remain the author’s argument.
